Nuggets' Iguodala continues to impress

Defender thriving at slowing down opponents

DENVER -- The evening's entree was something called Greivis Vasquez, a Venezuelan dish known for the dish.

He's the point guard for the New Orleans Hornets, a budding playmaker who, in his previous game, had 14 assists and 25 points.

"I just like his courage, and I don't know what it is, his savvy?" Nuggets coach George Karl said before tipoff a week ago. "He's made big shots, won big games at the buzzer."

Well, in this game, Andre Iguodala just ate him up. Ate. Him. Up. The carnivorous Denver defender held Vasquez to six points, six assists and six turnovers. Casual fans believe the Nuggets won that game because of Iguodala's 23 points. Wrong.

"His defense on Vasquez was probably the key to the game," Karl said. "This team can execute with a lot of precision, and it didn't happen."

Nuggets fans were told that Iguodala is a good defender from the moment during the Olympic Games last summer when Denver acquired him from Philadelphia. It's the go-to description -- Kenneth Faried hustles, JaVale McGee dunks, Andre Iguodala defends. But how good is he? What makes him so good? Is it really that big of a factor?

Look at it this way: Good is an understatement. Good is "The Godfather Part III." Iguodala is Part I, with Brando.

The numbers first. An average NBA player efficiency rating (PER) is 15. Stars flirt with the 20-range. According to the statistics on 82games.com, the 6-foot-6 Iguodala is holding opponents to a 9.

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9 PER at the shooting guard position this season. In the six games heading into the weekend, advanced metrics on nba.com showed that Denver's defense was 14 points better per 100 possessions with Iguodala on the court.

Astounding. And according to data from Synergy Sports, he's the third-best defender in points allowed per possession of players who primarily defend the perimeter. And, when defended by Iguodala, opponents shoot just 31 percent.

In the locker room after the win against the Hornets, Iguodala explained his approach: "Tonight was kind of like a typical Scottie Pippen night, defending the point guard, pressuring him up the floor full-court, trying to create some havoc and just be a force on the offensive end as well. I watched him so much growing up. I had that in mind going into the game."

Pippen provided

inspiration

Everyone liked Michael. That was a given. Growing up in Springfield, Ill., young Iguodala adored Michael Jordan. But he was fascinated by Pippen, the Bulls' small forward who could play point forward and defend point guards.

"I remember watching him, especially around '97, '98, when they were playing the Pacers and he would guard Mark Jackson," said Iguodala, who was 14 when the Bulls won their last title in 1998. "And he would just shut off the whole side of the floor.

"Mark couldn't get the ball to the other side. And watching him after Game 1 in '91 when he was guarding Magic Johnson in the Finals, and he shut him down. I was just being a student of the game."

Jackson now coaches Golden State. Asked about Iguodala's young memories about Pippen, he said: "Well, he was fouling me a lot. Let's clear that up," the old point guard said playfully.

But the coach went on to gush about Iguodala's Pippen-like swarm. Jackson had seen it earlier this season, when Iguodala took Warriors sharpshooter Klay Thompson out of a game. And Jackson watched Thursday night when Iguodala, keeping his balanced and body square while systematically backpedaling into the lane, forced the Warriors' Jarrett Jack to miss a short jumper with 47 seconds left of a one-possession game.

Or his lateral quickness. Or his rhythmic use of his hands to disrupt a ball-handler and shooter. Or his mental toughness. Iguodala is a rarity, a game-changer -- on the defensive end.

"Excellent" report card

Synergy breaks down every possession of every game. So, with each player -- and each type of play -- it provides statistical analysis of how a guy defends, via stats such as opponents' field-goal percentage and other numbers so complex they sound made up.

Perhaps his masterpiece early in his Nuggets career came against Houston's James Harden, who was the hottest player in the league, fresh off the trade to the Rockets. But the guy who had just won the conference award for player of the week scored only 15 points, on 5-for-15 shooting, and had a late-game jumper stuffed back in his face by Iguodala. And the Nuggets won, on the road, their second game of a back-to-back.

"Defense is more mental than anything," Iguodala said. "I know most guys don't like playing D. So when I'm on offense, you make him work. And then when I'm on D, make it hard for them, take them out of the game, because it's all about competing. You're trying to win -- on both ends."

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